Aug 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. CDC and the FDA said on Wednesday they are investigating a multistate Salmonella outbreak linked to jalapeno peppers from Mexico, which have sickened 345 people across 27 states and prompted a recall of affected products.
The FDA said 36 hospitalizations and no deaths have been reported, while the investigation remains ongoing.
The health agencies linked the outbreak to jalapeno peppers supplied by a common grower in Sinaloa and distributed in the U.S. by Coast Citrus Distributors.
The company has agreed to recall the remaining product and is notifying affected customers, the FDA said.
The U.S. investigation identified restaurants including Chipotle Mexican Grill and QDOBA, a Mexican-style restaurant chain, as recipients of jalapenos imported by Coast Citrus Distributors.
Chipotle has since switched jalapeno suppliers for its restaurants beginning July 20, while QDOBA stopped using jalapenos on July 28 and is no longer serving them, according to the FDA.
“FDA does not consider there to be a current ongoing risk from these establishments to consumers in this outbreak,” the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.
(Reporting by Abu Sultan in Bengaluru and Mrinmay Dey in Mexico City; Editing by Shreya Biswas)
